Nation's Physicians to Urge Reboot of National Mandates for EHRs

American Medical Association to host physician town hall in Atlanta to discuss solutions

In response to widespread physician discontent with the impact that government regulations are having on the development of EHRs, the American Medical Association (AMA) and the Medical Association of Georgia will hold a town hall meeting to give physicians a chance to discuss their concerns about EHRs and looming regulations. Among the national and local leaders who will take part in the conversation are US Representative Tom Price, MD, and AMA President Steven J. Stack, MD.

The US government has spent $24.6 billion to promote a digital health infrastructure based on the power of EHRs to enhance patient care, improve productivity, and reduce costs. And while more than 80% of physicians have adopted this technology, many physicians strongly believe the current course of federal regulations threatens to turn the promise of EHRs into a pipe-dream.

Government requirements have twisted EHR technology so it interferes with face-to-face discussions with patients, requires physicians to spend too much time performing clerical work, and creates new costs that divert resources away from patient care improvements. Meanwhile, the much anticipated benefits of being able to share important patient health care information electronically among providers in different settings have gone unfulfilled.

In a landmark study conducted by the AMA and the RAND Corp, physicians identified EHRs as a major obstacle to providing quality patient care. Physicians also noted that the current EHR technology is the leading cause of physician dissatisfaction, emotional fatigue, depersonalization, and lost enthusiasm.